Storm-apron fastener.



No. 696,574. Patented Apr. I, l9D2.

C. C. LARUS. I STORM APRON FASTENER.

(Application filed July 20, 1901.) (No Model.)

-. Juvenl'oz rrn TATES PATIENT intros.

STORWI APRON FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 696,574, dated April 1, 1902. I Application filed July 20, 1901. Serial No. 69,086. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. LAROS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grinnell, in the county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storm-Aprons and Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention provides a simple and effective means for securing a storm-apron to the dash of a vehicle in such a manner as to take out all wrinkling and puckering, the coni struction being such as to admit. of the apron being instantly fitted to the dash and quickly removed therefrom.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and drawings hereto attached.

WVhile the essential and characteristic features of the invention are necessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front portion of a vehicle-body, showing the stormapron secured to the dash in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fastener, the parts being extended. Fig. 3 is a side view of the fastener, the dotted lines showing the lever member extended and the full lines the position of the lever member when folded.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The dash I and storm-apron 2 may be of any design, according to the make-up and character of vehicle, and are illustrated to demonstrate the application of the invention.

The fastener consists of members 3 and 4, the part 3 constituting the lever member and the part i the fixed member. These members are preferably formed of lengths of wire of suitable gage bent into the shape substantially as shown. The member is .approxi mately of U shape, and its'side members or legs terminate in eyes 5, which receive the journals 6 of the lever member 3. The eyes 5 are preferably formed by bending end portions of the legs or side bars of the member4 and are located wholly to one side of the plane thereof, thereby facilitating the forma tion ofthe lock-joint, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The lever member 3 is of loop shape, and its side bars have their terminals bent outward to provide the journals 6, which obtain bearings in the eyes 5. Eyes 7 are provided in the length of the side bars of the member 3 and receive a cross-bar 8, which is headed at its ends to prevent longitudinal displacement. The eyes 7 are formed by coils or bends formed in the side bars of the lever member and are located wholly to one side of the plane thereof, so as to project beyond the plane of the member 4. when the lever member is folded. The lever member is narrower than the fixed member, so as to admit of the eyes 7 passing between the side bars of the fixed member to throw the cross-bar 8 beyond a straight line connecting the journals 6 and the end bar of the member 4, thereby resulting in the formation of a lock-joint which is not liable to become casually broken and permit loosening of the storm-apron when not desired.

The members of the fastener, being constructed in the manner set forth, can be quickly assembled or disconnected either by pressing a side bar of the lever member i11- ward or a side member of the fixed member outward, so as to enable a journal 6 to clear the adjacent eye 5. hen placing the members together, one journal is fixed into an eye 5 and the opposite journal is fitted into the other eye by a relative lateral movement of the side bars in the manner stated.

The fastener is secured to the end portions of the storm-apron by tapes or straps 9 and 10, the strap 9 being secured at its outer'end to an end portion of the storm-apron and at its inner end to the cross-bar 8, and the strap 10 being attached at its inner end to the cross bar of the fixed member 4 and at its outer end to the opposite end portion of the stormapron. A slide 11 is applied to one of the straps or tapes,as 9, to admit of'lengthening or shortening it, as may be required, to admit of fitting the storm-apron to the dash of any vehicle-body. When the lever member is extended, the straps or tapes 9 and 10 are loose and the storm-apron can be readily slipped over the dash or removed therefrom, and when the storm-apron is in position, as shown in Fig. 1, it is secured and tightened by folding the lever member upon the fixed member, this operation resulting in drawing the inner ends of the straps or tapes together, as will be readily understood. When folding the lever member, the storm-apron is drawn tight against the front side of the dash and all wrinkle and pucker is removed therefrom, and the storm-apron cannot be readily removed by wind or an ordinary pull thereon. When the lever member is turned back or extended, the tapes or straps 9 and 10 are slackened and the storm-apron is loosened and can be easilydisconnected from the dash,

so as to be folded and laid aside until again required for service.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- In a fastener of the character described, a U-shaped member, a loop-shaped member having eyes intermediate the ends of its side- CHARLES C. LAROS.

Witnesses:

WILL O. RAYBURN, J. E. VAN EVERA. 

